creative practice, musings on theory, and sparks of inspiration

EMP Introduction – based on Learning Agreement

WHAT?

My EMP will investigate graphic design which embodies Czech national identity and graphic style, while at the same time communicates to an international audience. I aim to do this through a body of work for a visual identity of the Prague 2020 Olympic Games including logo design, icon set for all the disciplines, infographics and promotional materials.

HOW?

This will be supported by research into semiotic theory (esp. pertaining to icons and symbols), the impact of context on design, the evolution of design movements and their impact on Olympics and how graphic design facilitates cross-cultural communication. I think that my perspective, as a Czech who has grown up abroad, will make the project quite interesting because I have one foot in each camp – national and international – which is essentially the target audience I will be working to. At the same time the fact that I have no lived in the country for an extended period oftime may prove to be a bit of a hindrance.

WHO?

The intended audience is two-fold, the logo needs to be effective on a national level (in the Czech Republic and especially Prague) as well as being accessible to an international audience.

WHEN?

Start date: Tuesday 19 January 2010

End date: Friday 30 April 2010

WHY?

I would like to do this project because of its commercial nature and real-world application (which is something I need more of in my portfolio); logo design and visual identity is an area I haven’t worked in very much so I would like to use this opportunity to push my creative practice and step out of my comfort zone (this will also help strengthen certain weaknesses in my software skills). In my work I have often drawn upon the experiences I picked up in Asia, and the visual styles of those countries, but up till now I haven’t used the visual and cultural influences of my Czech heritage. The personal element of this project is that I hope to use it to reconnect with my past and at the same time as a bridge into the future (as a project which may open opportunities in the Czech design industry). My interest in the Olympic Games for this project came from my dissertation (on the circle as a symbol in logo design, with the Olympic Rings logo as the main case study) and also from the candidate city bids for the 2016 Olympics. Prague was a candidate city for 2016, but I feel that out of all the logos of candidate cities the Prague logo was particularly weak. That’s why the focus of this project will be critiquing existing graphic designs and producing alternatives. Prague was originally put down as a candidate city for 2020 but they backed out, so I will be putting forward my designs as if they were in fact the host city for 2020. I think that this hypothetical scenario is actually better a real one since it would be distracting and perhaps more difficult to compete against an official 2020 logo.